A combination of age and injuries last season made it a no-brainer for Barabanov to go to Russia.

As the calendar flips into August, certain NHLers who remain unsigned are faced with the reality of their current situation. With that in mind, Alexander Barabanov signed a two-year contract with Ak Bars Kazan of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) on Thursday.

Barabanov began his professional hockey career in the KHL where he spent seven seasons with his hometown club SKA St. Peterburg. His NHL career started with the Toronto Maple Leafs when the club signed him to a one-year, entry-level contract on Apr. 7, 2020.

His time in Toronto was limited to just 13 NHL games where he was mostly playing on the fourth line. He recorded one assist. The player was traded to the San Jose Sharks for Antti Suomela.

The Russian forward found immediate success with the Sharks. He finished the latter part of the 2021 season with seven points in nine games. In the following two seasons, Barabanov had 86 points in 138 games, but he struggled on and off the ice last season.